Flustration
by Andhera
Summary: What happens once you loose the cold masks? You end up a chemist with no clue about the process of chemistry between two people. Until 'Mr. Cute, Sexy and Nameless' saves his life. Then he learns, desperation is the best teacher. ReiKai
1. Encounter

Aloha! I was talking to Shinigami Tenshi the other day, and she said something along the lines of w_rite it as you think it is_. I'm not quoting her or anything, but I decided to write it as I feel it will be.

It should be pretty short; maybe 5 chapters, maybe more; not more than ten, for sure. It could fit in a one-shot, but I'd probably give up on it if I did do a one-shot. So, chaptered it is.

I've been writing a lot more often lately, so I've decided I can handle two stories at once. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed N-Fold. You guys rock! And thanks, also, to the people who are reading this.

So, let's start…

**Inspired by:** _Rainy Day Man – Makoto Kino's Theme Sailor Moon_

**Dedicated to:** Loika: _my chibi okaa-chan_. Life **is** a lot of work. So, to feel better, let's fluster Kai :D

* * *

Grey skies, towering clouds, thunder, lightning, pelting rain… Life can't get better. Sure, I'm not a cynical bastard with a wall of ice around me anymore, but I'm not dancing with teletubies either. So, let me bask in the agony of the thunderstorm in peace. Besides, sunshine is too loved; this dark, grey phenomenon needs a few fans too.

Yeah, I'm that psychotic, _off the wall_ insane, monotonous – not to mention _sexy_ – body in the dark shadowy corner. Tall, dark, _handsome_… the whole shebang. But it boils down to one fact: the day I let my icy mask slip, my life plummeted straight towards hell. No parachute, no nothing; I'm still falling, mind you, and I'm not enjoying the ride one bit.

If I were to lay down my life on a pH scale, fan girls would be most acidic, and friends would be most basic; they cancel out each other, to create something more tolerable. Thunderstorms, like this one, were a 7.0, otherwise neutral: one of the finer qualities of life. They could be good or bad; either, or, depending on my mood.

Hey, I'm not paranoid… just chemistry addicted.

"Comparing your life to the pH scale again Kai-chan?" A soft, amused voice chuckled. Well, way to derail my train of thought.

"Ever heard of knocking Yuriy?" I counter, knowing quite well what to expect next. We've had this conversation many times. He feels, as my onii-chan, that he's responsible for my sanity. Funny, I never knew I had any.

"No, Kai-chan, you're not sane, and I'm well aware of that." He laughed. I mouthed along tauntingly in my mind. We'd throw a bunch of sarcasm at each other, and then laugh it off over a drink. It was as good as a tradition now-a-days.

"Get out of my head!" Gently, I push his shoulder, as if to try and shove his out of my mind. Since I could predict what he was going to say, I prepare my witty answer. The words are at the tip of my tongue, ready to plunge out into the world.

"So, where on this scale does love lie?" I was _not_ expecting that. Not ever, in a million years would I have expected that from Yuriy of all people. I could feel my jaw fall open, and then snap shut, repeatedly, in a rhythmic pattern. An image of Yuri calling me _goldfish_ spread wildly through my mind.

"W,wh,what?" I must be looking _so_ hot! I've just sputtered out my drink, mimicked a goldfish and am looking brilliantly stupid. Oh yeah… epitome of sexiness right here.

"Love, you know, a state of passion shared between two very intimate people…" He explained, innocently holding back a grin.

"Riy-chan! You're asking me to place _love_ on a pH scale!?! Are you out of you cotton-picking mind?" Still dazed by the question; need emergency intensive care. Sure, why doesn't he just drive a knife through my heart? I mean… talk about … _ouch_! Sure, I love chemistry… but … _this_!

"I guess the great Kai Hiwatari isn't much of a chemist to speak of at all!" He taunted. Damn, I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. Stupid blood vessels can't be more subtle about their jobs, can they?

"But Riy-chan, I'd have to experience it first to actually judge it." I say coolly, pulling myself together.

"I think you should stick to the periodic table of elements for now Kai-chan. Real world chemistry is too complicated a trend for you." He said, dropping some money on the counter. Then, he walked away calmly, leaving me speechless. I hate speechlessness; especially the type caused by _him_.

It finally sunk in, what he'd meant by _real world chemistry_. Okay, I _am_ slow. But does he seriously think I'm incapable of being in an –and I quote – _intimate state of passion with another person_. So, I've never been intimate before. Big deal! How hard could it be?

Besides, he is intimate enough for both of us! Every time I see him – where he isn't taunting me – he's shoving his tongue down Boris' throat. Yeah, like always their first kiss was all _Awww__… how cute!,_ but being a regular audience to their _states of passion_ can be bad… mind corrupting… very, very mind corrupting.

"Fill me another one, Ger." Gerreth, or Ger for short, was a cool _dude_. He was the bar-tender and quite the conversationalist. Tonight, however, he was busy. There was a hell of a crowd tonight. So he refilled my glass with some sweet toxins, winked and rushed away. I was left to mop over my chemistry deprived life… alone. Ironic, isn't it? If I didn't have to mop over the lack by myself, I'd be in the middle of the dance floor lip-locking my so-said intimate partner.

Life loved harassing me.

To shove it in life's face, I downed my last drink fast, and slammed some money on the counter before walking, uh, staggering out the intricate glass doors. Okay, maybe I downed that final drink a little too fast. I'm feeling tipsy, stumbling through pouring rain, not know what is happening around me. Not that I'm usually aware.

For a moment, the world blurs and I fumble. I know I'm not face flat on the floor. But, I can't tell where I am; somewhere outside the bar. I can hear the soft hum of the cars rushing by.

I am … _cry_ing?

That would explain being blind for the moment. What did it matter anyways? The rain washed it all away. At least something cared, even if it was condensed water vapor. My only 'nii-chan had just said that I was a pathetic (real world) chemist; it was worth the tears.

But what was I supposed to do? Force a relationship with some random person on the street. I can't do that. I need it to be something deep. Riy-chan can go to hell, damn it. I'll fall in love when my perfect girl comes along. Then, I'll shove it in his face.

My hand immediately reaches up and wipes the rain-washed tears from my face. A thick fog had collected around me. Where was I? I see bright lights… flashlights? No, they're bigger… more like … headlights?

A wave of nausea washed over me. It shot through my heart and uncoiled in the pit of my stomach. A loud honking sound filled my ears, telling me to move. But I'm paralyzed; frozen in the spot. My life was officially over. I could see the headlines with my name on them… the death certificate too.

I could barely make out the swerving car slam the brakes in an act of intuition. It was still too late for me; might as well cherish these last few moments. So, I hid my _gorgeous_ crimson eyes from the world and took in the world from my senses.

The soothing patter of the rain, the claps of thunder, the smell of fresh rainwater, the skidding wheels of the car, a warm body slamming into mine… the loud honking—

Wait; body slamming…? Maybe it's a hallucination. I'm probably dead right now. That was the car slamming into me. See, I can feel it breathe… so warm and comforting.

Somewhere between death and indulging in the exhilarating sensation of the warm, tingling breath against my face, it hit me: Cars don't breathe.

Before my mind had time to react, my eyes flew open… and melted into the most beautiful golden color I'd ever seen before. Those eyes… they were possibly prettier than mine.

"You saved… my ass." I mutter, too jaded to say anything else. Oh great! A person with _the_ perfect eyes just saved me and all I could muster was incoherent mumbo-jumbo.

"I mean, you saved my life." I quickly correct myself. He gets up off me. Okay, if there was anyone out there who deserved to be called sexy, it was this guy. My face flushes as I examine the very, very admirable body of my knight in shining armor.

"Yeah, well, I was going for the ass, your life just came in the way." He said, holding out his hand to me. I can feel my eyes soften. His voice… let's not dignify worthless adjective by comparing them to his voice. It was too ethereal to be brought to the level of anything earthly.

Hesitantly, I take his hand and get to my feet. I try to ignore the electrifying effect his hand has on my nerves. I can think of much better places for his hands to be. _Hentai__ Kai!_ I inwardly scream at myself.

"Heh.. Um, thank you for, uh…saving…" I stutter. Kai Hiwatari and stutter do not belong in the same sentence. _I_ do not stutter. _I_ am confident; confident people do not stutter.

"…your ass…" He offered. Oh lord! A damned sex-god is standing in front of me and I'm being a moronic idiot. _Joy_!

Life, destiny and fate were conspiring against me!

But still, I laugh it off; pretend that my insides are normal instead of being jelly. It worked… _almost_. My legs chose to defy me and crumbled underneath me. So, I tumbled straight into the warm embrace of this nameless guy who saved me.

Mmmm… he smelt like strawberries and whipped cream - not the ideal thoughts to be having given current circumstances. Gladly, I fall into a deep sleep in the very welcoming arms of the stranger.

Part of me cursed myself for reacting like this to a nameless, faceless stranger.

Another part of me reminded me of Yuriy's words: _Real world chemistry is too complicated a trend for you._

That little part of me hopes I'll wake up to the same molten gold eyes and strawberry-whipped cream fragrance.

* * *

So… odd? Well, I wanted a Kai-uke story! So, here is my contribution. It's not all that bad is it?

Come on

Review… please... for Kai-chan's sake. Write a _get well soon_ thing for precious, unconscious little Kai.

Along with that you can also write about the story ;

Well, it's an indecent hour in the wee time of the morning. School awaits to torture me. So, this is where I get off.

Andhera


	2. Recovery

* * *

Hehe… I remember making a resolution to be consistent in updating this one. But seeing as I never do stick to my resolutions… _ever_…

Next time I'll aim to never finish it. Maybe that'll work.

Same old excuses. Teenage angst (comprised of mostly homework…and birthday party planning.) I'm sure most of you have been there. So I shall spare the whining.

Excuse the erratic hiatus. I'll hold back on the promises of updates. Promise.

* * *

_Beep… beep__… beep…_

When did my alarm clock become so… wimpy? Last I heard, it sounded like a cranky old grandma yelling at me to wake up. It can't be scared of me can it? I mean… come on!

_Beep… beep…_

I could get used to this though. I can just tell Yuriy that my clock broke. Okay, it's the wrong time to feel guilty about not being there to teach a bunch of teens. It's not like they are _eager_ to learn or anything.

_Beep… beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_…beep_

Guilt. It's one of those things in life that is ever present when you do _not_ want it. Like Yuriy. Bastards. Both of them.

Today, regardless of all the guilt, I will sleep. I will not get up and fulfill my duty of student teaching. I will snuggle into my warm bed and thus will not have to battle vicious fan, no, _school_ girls.

Amen.

_Beep…_

Doesn't my alarm clock automatically shut off once the minute is up? I have definitely pondering upon my guilt for more than a minute.

_Beep…_

Why is someone running their finger – gently, delicately… almost lovingly – against my forehead, temple,

Back. of. my. ear.

Quickly, a result of paranoid reflexes, I grab the imposing forearm and push it away, snapping my eyes open and jolting straight up.

_Beep…_

Ouch.

_Beep…_

Okay maybe jolting up isn't the best decision I made, considering I'm doubled over in pain with one hand groping my throbbing head, while the other still held its death grip on the existence that dared touch me- especially in my near sleep.

_Beep…_

I manage, through the pulsing headache and death gripping, to send a sidelong glare at the once effective alarm…

…heart monitor?

_Beep…_

"Kai. Do you mind getting your sterile paws off my gorgeous boyfriend?" Yu…riy!

_Beep…_

Wait, _sterile_? Since when am I sterile? I am male… one in university on a student teacher co-op assignment. Being sterile disrupts the laws of…

males,

university,

males in university,

universities in m---

everything in existence; which does not encompass that incomplete final thought.

Come to think of it, I have that _disinfected boy_ smell around me. Why does my room smell like a hospital? Why does my clock look like a heart monitor? Why can I see a very worried Boris beyond my extremely blurry hand groping my abused forehead? Why is Boris in my mysteriously clean and chemical smelling room? Why is Yuriy alive? More importantly, why is he not trapped in the complex Yuriy proof trap I set up in my room? Why am I questioning things so much?

"And Boris, you know that our darling Kai has extremely sensitive ears. You would deserve that death grip if it wasn't making me oh so _jealous_." He tsked his lover, boyfriend, waving his index back and forth. It was a habit he picked up from teaching.

It irritated me how it complimented his sadistic words. Then again _he_ irritated me. There is a wonderful reason to love someone. _Because he annoys me._

No, I am not _in_ love. Only someone as naïve as Boris would be capable of falling into that trap.

After all, that is what love was- a trap…

It all came back to me: love, pH scale, real life chemistry, _cry_ing, headlights, cars, breathing, gold, strawberry, whipped cream.

How the hell do they relate? Was I that drunk? Better yet, am I still drunk?

Confusion doesn't exactly help the two million elephants stampeding through my mind.

"Ne, Riy-chan," I oblige to his almost order and let go of Boris. I need that hand to massage my temples anyways. It calmed the headache, making it remotely possible for me to open my eyes and see more than blurs. The world did not look pretty as a smudge of watercolors.

Of course, just as soon I could see more than smudges of whites and greys, and one smudge of red that floated where Yuriy's head stood, the questions flowed back. This time though, they were verbalized in a very perplexed voice.

"What the hell am I doing here? Why am I in a hospital? What the---" Rule one, and possibly only: when you don't know what's going on, panic.

"Shut up." Yuuriy commanded. "You are in a hospital. Other people are trying to recover."

"Moron."

"Imbecile." I feel a pout coming on.

"Idiot."

"Superficial, calloused ignoramus."

Can you tell yet that he teaches English?

"Take your own advice and shut up Yuriy." Victory. Boris sided with me. "We all know that you're extremely articulate. But Kai has been here, in a damn near coma for a week. I'd rather you save your bickering for after he has recovered completely. Not to mention that I get first dibs. I want to know what the hell he was thinking walking in the middle of the road like that."

Oh shit. He was going to lecture me. Nothing, ever, could compare to the trauma of being a victim of Boris' lectures. It's a good thing I was in a hospital. It'll come in handy.

"He was staggering in the middle of a main road. You really believe he was _thinking_." Yeah thanks Yuriy, that'll help. I send a sidelong glare at him. It was a reflex, again.

"I did tell you to shut up didn't I?" The last time I heard Boris sounding this cacophonic, he grounded Yuriy. Yes. Grounded. It is very possible to be grounded by your boyfriend. One that doesn't even live with you.

"So..?" The silver haired dream-of-my-_brother's_ boy turned to me expecting me to say something. What it was that he wanted to hear was quite beyond me. It was safe to assume it had to do with me walking in the middle of a road.

Another erratic flashback seemed to consume me momentarily.

I was almost roadkill… but I got saved by… someone.

I could feel my eyes widen to their maximum possible circumference. _Shit_.

"Remembering now are you?" My ever so faithful redheaded friend teased. But I couldn't respond. I was too busy being mortified.

I had had provocative thoughts about another person. I was drunk, of course. It explains everything. But this person had captivated me, if only for a few seconds. There was something terribly wrong about that.

Exactly how drunk was I? What happened? Why did I near melt in those golden eyes?

Oh dear, I need to have a heart-to-heart with Yuriy soon. Now.

Never again will I have alcohol. It has scary effects on me. I know that. It makes me horribly vain and vulnerable. Why was I even drinking that night? I usually don't. I just have juice while Yuriy, who was well able to hold his alcohol, drank.

My head hurts.

More.

I want strawberries. Strangely enough. Why? I don't know.

"We have to leave for now. Ja ne, Kai." I look up at Boris, a jolt of panic rushing through me again. I couldn't be left alone. But Boris has already left the room.

"Yeah, I have tonnes of marking to do. You _know_ I'm looking forward to marking the essays on favorite teachers." I could see the worried look in his usually icy eyes. It was because I didn't crack a smile. Heck I didn't even forge a whine. He knew that I knew most of the essays would be about him or me. And I knew that he knew not to hand them back before I read them. Still, I remained unresponsive.

Because, my savior stood in doorway, arms clasped around an array of flowers.

Yuriy turned around to leave after bidding his goodbye. Seeing the said savior, he smiled before leaving. "Take care Kai," was the last thing I heard him say before hhe's disappeared from the room.

"Hi," The same sweet voice I'd heard a little over a week ago called. "I'm Rei. Remember me?" He smiled, laying down a few of the bouquets on the side table, and the rest on the floor beside it. "A lot of girls out there seem to admire you. Makes me feel very guilty for not bringing anything. Sorry. I was in a slight rush today. Things have been busy." He explained slowly as he moved around setting up the flowers.

I couldn't say or do anything. My eyes were too busy trying to keep from widening too much. They followed his every movement. Everything else blanked out, the room, the flowers, the distant wailing of infants.

Everything but him.

_Him_.

The person who saved me, made me melt, hugged me protectively, evoked provocative thoughts from me, was male.

A guy.

No.

This could not be right.

Why me?

* * *

Excuse me if the writing changed. I tried to keep it the same, but I haven't written anything but school work in a while.

Since I did promise I wouldn't promise frequent updates, I don't have much more to say.

Thank you for all the reviews. They were wonderfully encouraging. And I hope you enjoyed this as well.

Feedback is always appreciated.


	3. Realization

Kai-Uke! I'm excited all over again from my (re)discovery! I'm so glad I wrote this in first person.

* * *

It surprised me that I was in a bar again. It had been less than a day since I'd checked out of the hospital and I was in the same bar with the same red-head and the same liquor in my glass. A considerable quantity of that liquor had made it into my blood already. My brain felt like it was operating in slow-motion and the deja-vu component of this scene was not helping my perception of what was rational and what was insane.

"It's not fair, Yuu-chan," I heard a voice slurring, a voice which had an uncanny resemblance to mine. "Why is he a he?"

Of course, the voice couldn't be mine. Why would I complain to Yuriy about my man crush when he was dating Boris. He would not see a problem in him being a he. At this point _I'm_ having a hard time understanding my problem with his he-ness.

I should really stop drinking. Permanently.

"Wow, you've been tanking your drinks tonight." Yuriy said, an impressed look on his face. "I'm surprised you're conscious right now. You do realize you've been drinking straight whiskey, right? Not your usual soda water with a hint of whiskey for colour."

I looked up into Yuriy's eyes, probably looking dazed and confused, because he sighed and put a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. "Why is this bothering you so much? It's not like you grew up surrounded by straight people."

"I grew up surrounded by you and eventually Boris." I pointed out. "That is not my definition of a normal childhood."

"Okay, so you thought you were straight and now you're discovering you're not. It shouldn't be that much of a shock." He took a sip of his drink before continuing. "I mean, it's not like you've ever been attracted to a woman before."

"It's not really my sexuality that's preying on my mind..." I had no way of completing that sentence because I couldn't pin point my problem in this matter. I think it was because of this naiveness that Yuriy's next words hit me hard.

"Oh," He looked up, that impressed look returning to his eyes. "You're wondering whether _he's_ gay."

What? ...I was?

"I did not expect you to be mature enough to think that far. I thought you would melt into a puddle with just the realization that you wanted to fuck someone." I wanted to reach out and rip the smirk off his face, but I was too paralyzed by shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I said something wrong." Thank heaven that Yuriy was finally sprouting a brain. He did understand when he went too far. "I meant to say that you realize that you _want_ to fuck someone."

My reflexes threw a punch, they way they did when I felt threatened by anything. Yuriy, having grown up with me, had the speed to catch my punch. For this I was glad, or a bar fight would have broken out and Boris would make us pay with the remnants of our sanity. Another one of my reflexes kicked in and I receded into my mind, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. I had never mentally isolated myself this drunk before. Hopefully, the consequences would not be explosive.

"Look Kai," Yuriy noticed the distancing look in my eyes. "You can worry and speculate for the rest of your life, or you can do something about it."

Do something about someone I've met twice and have no way of contacting. Yeah. Right. "Let's leave." I am in no mood to talk, not even to Yuriy. I just want to sleep all this off. I know this will pass, just like the killer hangover I'm going to wake up with tomorrow - it'll be over in no time.

"Okay." He submitted, walking over to the cashier to pay. I made my way over to the washroom.

I wonder what he would do if he was in my position. If he didn't meet Boris in college and had just bumped into him on the street and was attracted to him, what would he have done?

The cold water I just splashed over my face did not clear my mind. I wondered about the possible things Yuriy would do in my position throughout the silent walk to Yuriy's house. I was their guest for an undetermined period of time, till I earned the right to return to my apartment from Boris. He was a worrywart and he was strict, making him someone I crossed as little as possible.

As I settled into bed, I couldn't help but feel relieved that I did not have to be alone right now. I passed out soon after.

I was awake surprisingly early the next morning with a hangover I expected. The effects of the hangover were monumental! - and I'm not much for melodrama. I even doubted whether I was completely sober because I was almost certain the few short hours of sleep had done nothing to purge the alcohol from my system. At least I didn't dream last night.

I wonder if he's gay.

In the kitchen, Boris was making breakfast and Yuriy was reading the paper. Both were visibly surprised to see me awake and in the jeans and t-shirt I had on last night. Drunk people don't change into pajamas.

"Good morning." Yuriy said, his nose buried into the folds of paper again.

"How're you feeling?" Boris inquired, fetching a couple more eggs from the refrigerator.

"Like shit." I was comforted by the monotony in my tone. I was back. "Where do you keep the coffee mugs?" I picked a mug from the cabinet Boris pointed to and poured myself some coffee. Mm. A week was too long to go without coffee. I had probably become too dependent on the bitter taste of black coffee.

I wonder if he's gay.

"What're you planning on doing today?" Yuriy asked, sliding over the sports section of the paper.

"Work. What else?" I take a seat and open the paper to last night's game. It seemed uninteresting and we hadn't missed much when we were at the bar.

"Work?" Boris and Yuriy chimed simultaneously. "You're on leave," only one continued. Their sychronization was creepy to be honest.

"Well, it's not like I have anything else to do." I shrug, finishing my coffee and pouring out another mug. A plate of eggs and toast were waiting for me when I returned to the table. I dug in because I was a secret fan of Boris' cooking. He made everything taste delicious.

"Rest." Boris said firmly. "You need it."

"I'll drive myself crazy." I argued, looking to Yuriy for support. "I need to keep my mind occupied." At this Boris threw me a confused glance.

I wonder if he's gay...

"He has a hard-on for that cutie that saved his life." Yuriy explained, his voice too calm and deadpan for what he was saying. It took immense self control to keep from attacking him again.

"He's not that cute," was all I said in response. More like flaming hot.

...I wonder if he's gay.

"I need to go to work." I affirmed, keen on getting my way. I needed to stop wondering if he was gay. It was driving me crazy. Why did Yuriy always say things that haunted me?

Boris sighed, ready to say something parental when Yuriy cut him off. "It should be okay honey, I'll be at school and I'll watch out for him. Besides, he's been indoors too long and probably needs a change of scene from the inside of a hospital room or our guest room."

I continued casually glancing through the sports section trying to find something of interest, my ears still keenly focused on the conversation between husband and wife. And the winner was... Yuriy! I'm glad. He was right, I need a change of scene. Now, as long as I didn't see long black hair, golden eyes, strawberries or whipped cream, the day would be peachy.

"I'm going to shower." I announced before I took off from the kitchen. I sensed angry, bitter sexual tension and fled the scene before I witnessed something that would have me thinking about more than just his sexuality.

Yuriy drove to work, because I was in no mood to. We discussed the essays he's almost finished marking, mocking the vulgar and unfathomable mentality of certain high school girls.

"Oh, Mr. Hiwarati, what a nice butt you have!" Yuriy's falsetto was almost as annoying to listen to as the girls he was imitating. "I should tell them to rewrite a classic folktale and see how many times I read that line."

I was more amused than I let on and he noticed. "Well, you seem back to normal."

"Can't let the students discover I actually have emotions." I replied, pleased that we could still talk normally. Yuriy and I had never discussed boys (or girls) before in this light. When Yuriy was courting Boris, he never came to me for advice. He would only tell me stories, as if he was updating me on the happenings of his life. So, I wasn't sure where this situation left us on the awkward scale. So far, it's been less awkward than that time I walked in on the two of them and discovered how it was done. So we were good.

"How're you holding up anyway?" He asked, voice laced with mischievous curiosity. "Any dreams I should know about?"

"None." I said very seriously. "I told you it would pass."

All Yuriy said was "Mmm Hmmm..." in a tone which irritated me. It was the tone which said _I know you're hiding something_ and _I know more than you do_. Luckily, we were almost at school.

The school day was uneventful in the whole. There was a lot of worry floating around which was drowned out by the excitement and elation of my return. It amazed me how good looks could counteract a terrible personality. Not that my personality is particularly terrible, but it isn't friendly either. I am good at building walls. Besides, my student teacher had done an excellent job covering my classes and I had very little to worry about on the academic frontier. He had even caught up on my marking. I would adore him, if I were the type to latch onto people frivolously.

Of course, things could not end well for me. They never seem to lately. So, at the end of the day, after all the students had finally piled out of the last chemistry class followed by my student teacher, a girl walked in asking for extra help. I recognized her as a student from the other chemistry teacher's class. She was pretty and had an air of elegance which was a rare quality in the beautiful girls of this school. Something about her struck me.

"What would you like?" I asked politely, careful about how nice I sounded. I didn't know her well, because she was not in my class, and did not want to risk falling into a carefully planned trap. She had gorgeous, long black hair. The sun reflected a warm yellow glare onto her glasses. She advanced to ask her question.

Uh oh.

I could see him advance and I felt pushed back by his presence. He looked at me with fierce eyes, the way I was too afraid to look at him. Before I knew it, I had my back to the blackboard. Soon, his body was against mine. His body was not warm the way it had been a week ago when I first met. This time I could feel his skin burning through the fabric of our clothes. I didn't know what to do, which was surprising because there were so many things I wanted to do.

Like ask him if he was gay.

"Mr. Hiwatari." My eyes focused on the girl who was now standing in front of my desk. Luckily, I hadn't moved or changed my neutral expression enough for her to notice a change. "I want to transfer into your chemistry class as of tomorrow."

"Why?" My response might have been a little too hasty, but it could be written off as a general wariness of girls.

"Because I want to take an arts course which conflicts with the other teacher's chemistry classes. " She explained "I'd need your approval." She paused. I didn't speak because my mind was still reeling from the hallucination. "Look, I know you don't really like high school girls, and most of them pay way more attention to you then you'd like. But all I want to do is take another class which is more interesting than an art class where I draw caricatures all day long. I swear you won't even notice me."

I almost smiled at her when she added, "except when you mark my work of course." She grinned.

"Where do I sign?" I managed to maintain my monotone despite my racing heart. I wanted her out of here quickly so that I could come to a logical conclusion about my delusions.

She happily held out a form which I hastily scrawled my signature on she she was on her way. Her replacement, Yuriy, stood in the doorway. I didn't need to wonder how long he'd been there because his face told me he knew what was on my mind.

"What is wrong with me?" I asked, desperately trying not to sound frustrated.

His answer was as simple and infuriating as his smirk. "You're sexually frustrated, Kai-chan."

* * *

**Andhera's Note(s)**

I've been dying to write this all week, but a plot bunny from another fandom had kept me from it. I hit a road block on that one-shot and jumped at the opportunity to get to this. This is possibly my favorite story because I get to be inside Kai's mind and frustrate him. I look forward to writing about Kai's internal monologues when he actually starts spending time with Rei. It's got me excited.

I wrote this under the influence of heavy allergy symptoms. I have reread it at least 4 times and hopefully caught all the mistakes. If I haven't please ignore them I'll beta read it again over the weekend.

**Read this** at least, if nothing else. Please keep in mind that the characters are not going to be _exactly_ the way they are in the anime because they are older and not in the Beyblade universe. So, while Yuriy, Kai and Boris have had tough childhoods, it did not leave them psychotic. Also, everyday people behave differently from the way competing athletes do in training and competitive situations. So, while I've tried to retain as many characteristics possible to keep the feel of the original characters, please keep in mind that the characters are older and have normal careers. Also note that we are _inside_ Kai's head, therefore everything that is not in quotations is one of Kai's thoughts or a subconscious realization of his actions.

I hope that is a worthy enough rationalization for why everyone isn't tough and badass or hyper and energetic. While this isn't an introspective piece of writing, I like to add character depth. It makes _me_ happy and hopefully adds to your reading experience.

Lastly, _please review_. While I would love to say that it does not matter to me, I love hearing what people think about my work, and it will motivate me to write more. I've started the next chapter and it's titled **Pursuit**. Now aren't you itching to read that? So please take the time to motivate me.

As always, thank you for reading.


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